Allison Pre-Files Zero-Based Budgeting Act

A bill that would require state government agencies to start from scratch every year and justify every penny spent is making another appearance in the Georgia General Assembly.

State Representative Stephen Allison (R - Blairsville) pre-filed legislation Thursday to re-introduce the zero-based budgeting act. Allison's bill is also known as H.B. 33.

During the 2010 legislative session, the Georgia House and Senate passed a similar bill, Senate Bill 1, without a single dissenting vote. Gov. Perdue, however, vetoed the legislation.

Governor-elect Deal indicated that he was a proponent of zero-based budgeting in an interview with the Savannah Morning News last July. [Peterson, Larry (2010-7-3). Nathan Deal says he has the right stuff to be governor. Savannah Morning News. Retrieved on 2011-1-7.].

c/p Georgia Legislative Watch

Bipartisanship: Georgia Democrats & Republicans Cut Congressional Budget

Thursday afternoon, Congress took its first steps towards getting government spending under control by voting to cut its own budget by five percent, saving $35 million in the process.

The House on Thursday passed a measure that would cut committee and legislative office budgets by five percent or more, making good on a pledge by House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) to cut as much as $35 million from Congress' total operating budget.

The measure passed on a 410-to-13 vote, with 177 Democrats joining all Republicans in voting in favor. Thirteen Democrats voted no, and 11 members did not vote. Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Calif.), the chairman of the Committee on House Administration, sponsored the measure

Sonmez, Felicia (2011-1-6). House passes budget cut for committees and legislative offices. Washington Post. Retrieved on 2011-1-7.

All thirteen members of Georgia's congressional delegation voted for House Resolution 22 [HOUSE ROLL CALL 8].

Ending Birthright Citizenship Extreme? Not Exactly.

Left-leaning groups across the nation are gearing up to fight legislation that would directly challenge the first sentence of the first section of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution.

Sentence one, section 1 of Amendment XIV reads as follows:

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside.

Earlier this week, a group of state lawmakers met in the nation's capital to introduce sample language that states could use to "correct the monumental misapplication of the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution."

"According to the 14th Amendment, the primary requirements for U.S. citizenship are dependent on total allegiance to America, not mere physical geography," said Pennsylvania State Representative and State Legislators for Legal Immigration (SLLI) founder Daryl Metcalfe. "The purpose of this model legislation is to restore the original intent of the 14th Amendment, which is currently being misapplied and is encouraging illegal aliens to cross and cost American taxpayers $113 billion annually, or nearly $1,117 yearly per individual taxpayer."

The left is likely to call this proposal extreme. In fact, just two days ago, the executive director of the American Immigration Council (AIC) suggested the idea would turn the clock back to the pre-civil war era.

"The proposal presented is clearly unconstitutional and an embarrassing distraction from the need to reform our nation's immigration laws. It constitutes a vicious assault on the U.S. Constitution and flies in the face of generations of efforts to expand civil rights," AIC Executive Director Benjamin Johnson said in a January 5th press release.

I wonder though, what is so extreme, unconstitutional and embarrassing about saying that in order to gain U.S. citizenship, one of your parents must be an American citizen themselves.

The United States is one of few countries that confer citizenship jus soli, or by birth.

Research by the United States Office of Personnel Management Investigations Service, and compiled in the 223-page document titled "Citizenship Laws of the World", shows that many of our allies across the pond require at least one parent to be a citizen before their child can become a citizen.

The United Kingdom, Russia, China, Germany and Japan all require at least one parent to be a national in order for their kids to obtain citizenship. Are these nations extreme for having such a common sense prerequisite for citizenship? I think not.

The only extremists here are those who would oppose such a logical measure.

Graves, Broun & Westmoreland Sponsor Bill To Defund ObamaCare

On the opening day of the 112th Congress, three Georgia Congressmen (led by 9th district Republican Tom Graves) sponsored legislation to "deauthorize appropriations for President Obama’s health care law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010."

The bill's author, Tom Graves, says he introduced House Resolution 127 "in the spirit of the voters’ rejection of intrusive and overreaching government policies."

"Under my proposal, not a single provision within the health care law would get a penny of funding, which would effectively end the costly and unconstitutional mandate on America," Graves said.

Two other Georgia lawmakers, United States Representatives Paul Broun and Lynn Westmoreland, co-sponsored H.R. 127 the same day it was introduced.

Georgia Democrats' Ignorance of Their Own Rules Leaves Them In Hot Water

Not that it matters much to me anymore since I resigned from the state Democratic committee and joined the Republican Party, but a rumor circulating around the Peach State's left-leaning blogs is that the Democratic Party of Georgia (DPG) may have to re-open qualifying for party offices due to a technicality.

It appears that a certain cranky county party chair in Chatham spotted an error in the upcoming Democratic Party of Georgia's election. Starting tomorrow, the DPG will have to reopen the nominations for all officers. So candidates who couldn't figure out that they wanted to run for an executive position now have until Jan. 19th to make up their damn minds. Anyone who gets in to the race now doesn't deserve a vote.

Place your bets again…. Blog for Democracy. Retrieved on 2011-1-5.

In a November 12, 2010 letter signed by outgoing state Democratic Party chairman Jane Kidd, it was announced that candidates for DPG offices (chairman, first vice chair, et al.) would have until December 16th to qualify. Unfortunately for Kidd and the rest of the DPG staff, their November 12th letter doesn't mesh with the Party's bylaws.

Article IV, section two, paragraph 3 of the Bylaws of the Democratic Party of Georgia reads as follows:

Those persons interested in running for a State Officer position shall file an “intent to run” statement with the State Party office no later than ten days before the State Committee meeting. A non-State Committee Member wishing to run for a State Party office must submit such “intent to run” with the endorsement of no less than thirty State Committee Members and submit such no later than ten days before the State Committee meeting.

This section of the Georgia Democratic Party's own rules means that December 16th should have never been the last date an individual could have qualified to run for a DPG office. Since the state Democratic committee meeting is scheduled for January 29th, the last day to qualify should have been ten days before the meeting, which of course is January 19, 2011.

These folks want to manage Georgia, but they can't even manage their own party.

WSB Radio Talk Show Host Hires Bush Campaign Manager For Presidential Bid

In a sure sign that he's preparing for a run at the White House next year, WSB radio talk show host Herman Cain hired former George H.W. Bush campaign manager Mark Block to lead his presidential exploratory committee [Weigel, David (2011-1-3). Herman Cain Snaps Up Americans for Prosperity Activist to Help With 2012 Bid. Slate. Retrieved on 2011-1-4.].

Block is currently the Wisconsin state director for Americans for Prosperity. According to his biography, Block "has been involved in the political arena for over 30 years having served as the campaign manager for former Governor Tommy Thompson, George H.W. Bush, Supreme Court Justices Janine Geske and Jon Wilcox."

Herman Cain, a 2004 Georgia U.S. Senate candidate, hosts a nightly radio program on WSB-AM.

Democrat-controlled Fulton County Hires Lobbyists To Oppose Reducing Government

Here's an example of Democrat-controlled government at work:

Recently, the Fulton County Commission shelled out six figures for a team of lobbyists to fight against reducing its bloated bureaucracy.

The Fulton County government has hired a team of lobbyists to protect its interests in the upcoming state legislative session, and top priority is blocking any attempt for the creation of Milton County or to shrink the powers of the commission.

According to documents obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, County Manager Zachary Williams put seasoned lobbyist Mike Vaquer on the payroll at $68.75 per hour

[...]

Two other registered lobbyists, Michele Dunn and Keisha Carter, will be paid $3,000 per month for five months, Vaquer said, which would bring the county’s cost for state lobbying next year to $140,000.

Edwards, Johnny (2010-12-28). Fulton hires lobbyists to counter Milton movement. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved on 2011-1-4.

State Representative Edward Lindsey (R - Atlanta) introduced House Resolution 1589 during the 2010 legislative session. H.R. 1589 would have the effect of getting Fulton County out of the municipal services business, as the county is now more than 2/3rds municipalized and it is no longer efficient for Fulton to a small unincorporated area of 66 square miles.

The Democrat-controlled Fulton County Commission opposes H.R. 1589.

Five Democrat county commissioners are on record as being against eliminating inefficient government [Fulton County Board of Commissioners. (2010-3-17). Minutes of Recess Meeting: Fulton County Commission. Retrieved on 2011-1-4.].

And they're going to fight against it during the upcoming legislative session, because the Democrat-controlled Fulton County Commission doesn't want to reduce government. They don't want to shrink their power. They want to protect their power, and protect the jobs of their cronies who are living off the taxpayers' teat.

In essence, the Democrat-controlled Fulton County Commission is paying lobbyists six figures to protect a government that serves no real purpose in an age where over 80% of the county is incorporated.

Now I call on any Democrat to defend why Fulton County needs a police department, fire department, sheriff's office, marshal's office, planning & zoning, code enforcement and a host of other city-like services for less than 20% of the county.

Why is shrinking the size of Fulton County government a bad idea?

Georgia Should Challenge New Hampshire's Primary Primacy

With more than a year until the first nominating contests in the 2012 presidential campaign, the usual jockeying over which state will hold its primary or caucuses first is beginning to dominate the political headlines.

As expected, New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner is raising his all-too-familiar ruckus over New Hampshire going first.

. . .Gardner [...] has warned that the Republican primary may have to be moved up because the proposed Feb. 14 date would land only four days before Nevada’s Feb. 18 caucus — a violation of New Hampshire laws that require the primary to take place a week before a “similar election” is held elsewhere. (Except Iowa, of course.)

Shear, Michael D. (2010-12-28). States Jockey, Again, to Vote First in 2012. The Caucus. Retrieved on 2011-1-3.

It's always confused me why two small states like Iowa and New Hampshire hold such a large influence over the presidential nominating process.

Georgia has sixteen electoral votes. Iowa and New Hampshire have a combined ten. Georgia can buy and sell New Hampshire's three piddly electoral votes five times over. It takes nearly three Iowas to equal one Georgia in the electoral college.

But Iowa and New Hampshire have to go first. Riiiiiight.

Currently, Georgia law sets the presidential preference primary date as the "first Tuesday in February" [O.C.G.A. 21-2-191]. That date is February 7th in the year 2012. Ten other states share that date with Georgia.

Georgia, and none of the ten other states with primaries or caucuses scheduled for February 7, 2012, should bow down to that small northeastern state.

If New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner wants to move his state's primary back into January or December, let him move it. Here in Georgia, we should keep our date the same. The Peach State's presidential primary should remain on the first Tuesday in February.

Damn the consequences (including the Democrat and Republican parties' delegate selection rules).

Honest Question: Why Aren't Surplus Tax Dollars Returned Back To The Taxpayers?

The southwest Georgia city of Albany announced December 29th that they took in more tax dollars than they needed to fund government operations.

The City of Albany Finance Department has received notification from its auditors that the final General Fund operating budget figures for the fiscal 2009-2010 are in and are very encouraging.

Revenues for the year came in very close to projections, while operating expenditures were much lower than expected. The net result is that the city of Albany operated on a budget surplus of over $1,800,000.

Miller, David (2010-12-29). City runs $1.8 budget surplus. WALB-TV. Retrieved on 2011-1-3.

It is extremely encouraging when government, at any level, lives within its means. The city of Albany should be applauded for balancing its budget, and having money left over. However, the obvious question is what will Albany's city government do with the $1.8 million-plus in surplus funds -- spend it or return it back to the taxpayers?

Here's your answer:

These funds will be accounted for back into the city's General Fund for future use.

It makes me wonder:

Why aren't surplus tax dollars ever returned to the taxpayers?

The break is over. . .back to blogging

As you've noticed, blogging around here has been extremely light.

The last two weeks of 2011, I've been spending time with family and friends. But now, the break is over and it's back to blogging.

The legislature goes back into session in eight days. Republicans will take complete control of state government later that same day. The Democrat and Republican parties will elect a new slate of officers. And then, of course, is the summer special session for legislative and congressional redistricting.

There's lots of politics to be blogged, so let's get started.